Sun twinkling through the Agra Fort fence

This is a photo taken through the fence of the Agra Fort. I really like taking such photos, as I like the effect of the twinkling of the sun through a narrow portion (you get to see the sun in a star-like shape).
Tip: Taking a photo like this takes patience. You need to get into the precise position where the sun appears like this, and need to review the photo you have taken to see whether you are indeed getting the required effect.

The assembly hall in Agra Fort and people around it

The structure in the background is the assembly / audience hall in the Agra Fort where the emperor would give an audience. At one time, this would be an area that was full of soldiers and guards, and is now a common place where citizens of India can roam around, sit on the grass, and enjoy the heritage of their country.
Tip: For such a photo, you should consider whether you are getting enough light. When everybody is sitting and the background is not moving, you can open the aperture to its maximum and then experiment with the shutter speed. If you are using a digital camera, be sure to view the result before moving on.

The front of the Agra Fort and its greenery

This is a photo of the Agra Fort (in India) (Wikipedia), a historic and protected monument. A lot of tourists visit this location, and as you can see, there is a lot of effort involved in making sure that the site remains in good condition, being a UNESCO World Heritage site. A large number of the Mughal emperors ruled from here, and for a long time, this was the place from where the country was run.
Tip: for taking photos of such structures, see whether you can carry a tripod. A tripod allows for a lot of stability, and when things are not moving (such as structures), you can experiment by varying the depth of field. To have a big depth of field, you need to have a small aperture, and also a slow shutter speed (for which hand holding the camera can introduce a shake).

A tomb inside Agra Fort

This is a tomb of an English officer inside Agra Fort. I am not sure about why his tomb was inside the Fort, but could be because he died during the battle inside the Fort in the First War of Independence in 1857

Tourists posing in the Emperors public Hall

There are tourists posing in the hall that was used by the emperor as a public receiving room, and taking a photograph in this location is a favorite for people who come to the Fort.

Photo of the big green courtyard of Agra Fort

This is another photo of the same courtyard (covered in the previous photo as well). At the far end, you can see a large number of people over there, and also if you look close enough, see the Taj Mahal in the background.

Central green courtyard of Agra Fort

This is the lush green courtyard of Agra Fort. Apparently, at one time, this courtyard was actually a water pool, but was later filled up when the British occupied it. The grass looks great, and the whole lawn is pretty large.

Central open courtyard in Agra Fort

Under a bright sun, this is a large open courtyard inside Agra Fort. The photo is taken from the second level, and the actual courtyard is one level below. This whole area was the private area of the Emperor and his family at that time, and now you can see a number of tourists all around.
To try to take a clearer photo, I needed to move around so that the sun was at my back, open the shutter for a shorter duration and keep the aperture open much larger.

The Emperor's audience room in Agra Fort

This is the audience hall in Agra Fort where the emperor would sit on his throne, and listen to complaints, as well as discuss issues of state. He would also dispense justice while over here.

A view of one of the private palaces of the Agra Fort

A view of one of the private palaces of the Agra Fort. This place, where you can see a lot of tourists roaming around, was one of the most private parts of the Agra Fort during the time of the emperor, since it was the private palace of one of the princesses. An intruder over here, if caught, could face the death penalty.

Diffused photo of the sun over the Agra Fort

This is a photo of the sun over Agra Fort. The sun was right overhead, and the light was so strong that it was difficult to take a photo where both the sun and the structure could be seen clearly, although I tried with a few photos. Any tips ?

A view of the Taj Mahal from a distance

This is a view of the Taj Mahal, as seen from the Agra Fort across the river Yamuna. The emperor who built the Taj Mahal, Shahjahan, was imprisoned by his son Aurangzeb in the Fort after taking over power, and he could only see the Taj from this distance.

Sun blazing through a gap in the Agra Fort

I am pretty fond of photos where the light from the sun can be manipulated. So, in this photo, I saw an opportunity where the light from the sun was seeming to come directly through a canon-hole (a hole from where a canon could be fired through the wall) and the light was spreading in all directions from that hole.

Part of the structure inside Agra Fort

This is a part of the structure inside Agra Fort. The Agra Fort is a protected monument built more than 350 years ago and serving as the headquarters for the Mughal Emperor for a fairly long time. The photo is of a small part of the structure inside the walls of the fort, and give an idea of the architecture of the building.

A better view of the shrine at Fatehpur Sikri

This is a much better view of the shrine of the saint Salim Chisti at Fatehpur Sikri. The shrine is normally dark inside, and it was hard taking this photo (the low light means that the shutter was open for much longer, leading to the blurred image - even though I was using a pretty good camera called the Sony DSC R1 (not a SLR though)). I kept this blurred image only because this was the best image that I have.

The actual tomb inside Fatehpur Sikri

This is a photo that is revealing the shortcomings of the motto of this blog (no editing of the photos from the camera). This is a photo of the inside of the actual shrine at Fatehpur Sikri, including the sheet over the tomb of the saint, but the photo is so dark that you cannot see the actual details unless you look carefully (although clicking on the photo to see a bigger image would help)

The sun over the Fatehpur Sikri shrine building

It was in December that we had gone to the Shrine near Agra, and even then, in the daylight, the sun was very bright overhead. I tried resetting the mode to get a photo with more details, but the light of the sun was drowning out everything else. Eventually, I settled back into program mode and took the photo.

Another view of a corridor inside Fatehpur Sikri

This is another view of a corridor inside the Fatehpur Sikri shrine near Agra (I had posted a photo of another corridor some time back). It took some time of waiting to shoot this photo, but overall the effect was well worth it.

A view into the Fatehpur Sikri compound from the open doorway

This is a view of the inside of the Fatehpur Sikri from the doorway of the structure. I like the shape of the archway and the structure it provides to the whole photo.